An evolution -- or perhaps revolution -- in skis for women began in the first decade of the 21st century. A number of manufacturers, including the well-known K2 company, started using top women skiers to help design a new generation of skies. It was called the K2 T9 Series, named in honor of Title IX, which mandated equality for women in college athletics. As one ski expert told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in a 2001 article, "The ski industry is still pretty male dominated. It's important to get more women into skiing, so it's exciting to see."
Women's Skies
Helen Olsson, executive director of Ski magazine, is quoted in the Seattle P-I article as saying that most women have a lower center of gravity and less muscle mass than men. So most skis designed for women are lighter and flex more easily than men's skis. But that is just a generality. As with golf clubs, the type of ski a woman needs is determined by her strength and ability level. A stronger woman might be better off using a ski marketed for men, and vise versa. Olsson said, "In fact, men can use women's skis, especially if they are lighter-weighted men with not a lot of muscle mass."
Reviews
A review of new model skis is contained in Ski magazine's 2010 equipment guide. The skis that are reviewed are organized by categories such as freeride, speed, cruiser, intermediate and powder-wide. Every ski on the list is recommended by the magazine, which uses blind tests on the slopes to make its selections. As the magazine states, "All skis reviewed here are excellent: we only write about the winners. The right one for you is a matter of personal preference."
Example
To illustrate the depth of the reviews in Ski magazine, here is a summary of the review for the Kastle MX 70, which was selected as one of the top three skis for both women and men in the speed category. "Once a player on the race scene, Kastle has emerged from the ashes of mismanagement with a new unisex line." The Ski magazine reviews go on to say that their "testers were floored" by the performance of the Kastle MX 70, lauding its traditional wood core, great grip, predictability, stability and smooth ride. It doesn't have much versatility, but its purpose is to launch you down the mountain at high speed. "It does one thing, and does it right."
More Information
Descriptions of 71 other skis for women, including top brands such as K2, Dynastar, Rossignol and Volkl, can be found at Al's Ski Equipment Barn. The site breaks its list into nine categories such as race skis, all mountain skis and freeride powder skis. The lists allow you to easily compare specific models in each category by features and by price.
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